All Sounds To Silence Come

Monday, May 16, 2011

Dabba!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Reverence

The air vibratedwith the sound of cicadason those hot Missouri nights after sundownwhen the grown-ups gathered on the wide back lawn,sank into their slung-back canvas chairstall glasses of iced tea beading in the heat

and we sisters chased firefliesreaching for them in the darkadmiring their compact black bodiestheir orange stripes and seeking antennasas they crawled to our fingertipsand clicked open into the night air.

In all the days and years that have followed,I don’t know that I’ve ever experiencedthat same utter certainty of the goodness of lifethat was as palpableas the sound of the cicadas on those nights:

my sisters running around with me in the dark,the murmur of the grown-ups’ voices,the way reverence mixes with amazementto see such a small bodyemit so much light.

Saturday, May 07, 2011

What Have I Got to Complain About

We've got enough money now not to worry every minuteabout where the next dollar is coming from.We even go to the movies once in a while.We've got a nice collection of friends.Our house is sturdy and well built.It keeps us warm and stands well against the storms.The larder is full of rice.There are plenty of potatoes down cellar.The freezer is full of vegetables I grew myself.

In the face of all that, slights to my vanityseem frivolous and nonsensical.